A Cardinals-Royals trade to make Kansas City a legit contender

Before the 2024 MLB season began, if you would have told any big baseball fan that the Kansas City Royals would be buyers and the St Louis Cardinals would be sellers at the upcoming trade deadline, they would have laughed in your face.

But that's the best part about baseball. You have to play the game, and anybody can win on any given day.

As of May 25, the Royals are 33-19, good for second in the AL Central. The Cardinals are 23-26, good for third in the putrid NL Central. That's the kind of year 2024 has been.

With the Cardinals in prime position to enter a fire sale, they could look to deal away their top reliever, Ryan Helsley. Kansas City would love the production from one of the game's elite bullpen arms, as they lack a true closer. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Royals take a chance and dump a few prospects to acquire Helsley for the back half of the year.

A Cardinals-Royals trade that sends Ryan Helsely to Kansas City

The key idea to this deal is that Kansas City absolutely will not overspend for Helsley. They were winners of less than 60 games a year ago. They understand that they don't need to go all in to win the World Series this year. A rebuild is a slow process.

But, when the Cardinals make the rental reliever available in a few weeks, Kansas City should put an offer in and this is what it could look like:

This may not seem like much of a return for the Cardinals' incredible closer, but offering much more than this would be ridiculous on the Royals' part.

Champlain is the centerpiece of the deal, being a near MLB-ready arm that has a projectable 6-foot-5 frame. He's been incredible in 2024 for the Royals Triple-A affiliate, so they may not be eager to lose him. But, come on -- it's Ryan Helsley.

Helsley has 15 saves, a 1.23 ERA and a WHIP below 1.0. His dominance can't be found or matched in any farm system in baseball.

Tyson Guerrero is more of a throw-in at the end of the deal. Guerrero is 25 years old and has struggled a bit with command this year. The Cardinals would look at him more as a project than a sure-fire future big leaguer.

St. Louis may not be inclined to take this deal, as they may be able to get more from a team like the Dodgers, Orioles, or Braves. But the Royals should definitely put their name in the conversation for Helsley. And if they're able to make the trade without overextending their assets, it could truly make this club even more of a contender than they've already looked to begin the 2024 season.